Table Of ContentRADARSAT: The Antarctic Mapping Project
Final Report
for NAG5-8608
Prepared by
The Ohio State University
Submitted to:
Waleed Abdalati
Manager, Polar Oceans and Ice Sheets Program
NASA Headquarters
Washington, DC
The Ohio State University
108 Scott Hall, 1090 Carmack Road
Columbus, OH 43210
Table of Contents
Table of Contents .............................................................................................................. ii
o**
Executive Summary ......................................................................................................... m
1.0 Introduction ................................................................................................................ 1
2.0 Antarctic Imaging Campaign Summary ................................................................. 1
3.0 AIC Data Processing .................................................................................................. 1
4.0 Mosaic Product ........................................................................................................... 2
5.0 Science Highlights ...................................................................................................... 4
6.0 References ................................................................................................................... 5
ii
Executive Summary
The first Antarctic Imaging Campaign (AIC) occurred during the period September 9, 1997
through October 20, 1997. The AIC utilized the unique attributes of the Canadian
RADARSAT-1 to acquire the first, high-resolution, synthetic aperture imagery covering the
entire Antarctic Continent. Although the primary goal of the mission was the acquisition of
image data, the nearly flawless execution of the mission enabled additional collections of
exact repeat orbit data. These data, covering an extensive portion of the interior Antarctic,
potentially are suitable for interferometric analysis of topography and surface velocity.
This document summarizes the Project through completion with delivery of products to the
NASA DAACs.
iii
1.0 Introduction
Carried aloft by a NASA rocket launched from Vandenburg Air Force Base on November 4,
1995, the Canadian Radarsat-1 is equipped with a C-band Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR)
capable of acquiring high resolution (25 m) images of Earth's surface day or night and
under all weather conditions. Along with the attributes familiar to researchers working with
SAR data from the European Space Agency's Earth Remote Sensing Satellite and the
Japanese Earth Resources Satellite, RADARSAT-1 has enhanced flexibility to collect data
using a variety of swath widths, incidence angles and resolutions. Most importantly, for
scientists interested in Antarctica, RADARSAT-1 can be maneuvered in orbit to rotate the
normally right-looking SAR to a left-looking mode. This 'Antarctic Mode' provides for the
first time a nearly instantaneous, high-resolution view of the entirety of Antarctica on each
of two proposed mappings separated by 2 years. The first, Antarctic Imaging Campaign
began on September 9, 1997 and was successfully concluded on October 20, 1997.
2.0 Antarctic Imaging Campaign Summary
The first Antarctic Imaging Campaign represents the culmination of many years of planning
by Canada and the United States to complete the synthetic aperture radar (SAR) mapping of
Antarctica (Jezek and Carsey, 1993; Jezek and other, 1996). The AIC was made possible
by the unique capabilities of RADARSAT-I including an electronically steerable antenna
array (figure 1) that provided a range ofselectable beam pointing angles. This capability
was essential for maximizing the range of the acquisition swaths from the satellites nadir
track. The satellite also has the capability to maneuver in orbit enabling it to change the
look direction of the SAR. This capability permitted acquisitions to the Earth's South Pole
and represents a technical ability afforded by no other civilian spaceborne radar.
The AIC relied on real-time, transcontinental coordination of the ground-station network
which also included acquisitions in Antarctica during the early part of the mission.
Operational and scientific information were transmitted between the various stations and to
the central focus of mission operations at the Canadian Space Agency in Montreal. The
information was key to resolving the limited number of acquisition anomalies that occurred
during the mission and quickly grasping scientific opportunities presented as the mission
unfolded.
Finally the entire RADARSAT-1 Antarctic Mapping Mission Project relied on the
participation of many organizations in Canada and the United States and on scientific
contributions from the international Antarctic Research Community.
3.0 AIC Data Processing
Signal data were processed to level-l, slant-range, multilook products by the Alaska SAR
Facility (ASF). ASF was also responsible for calibrating the data in terms of scattering
coefficient. Vexcel Corporation was responsible for developing software to accurately
mosaic the image data into seamless, orthorectified, map-projected mosaics. Mosaicking
wascarriedoutbytheOhioStateUniversityusinggroundcontrolpointsobtainedfromthe
EnvironmentalResearchInstituteofMichigan.
Thefollowing procedureswereusedby OSUin mosaicproduction:
Block Processing Stage:
Ingest of Level 1products (i.e. swaths)
Ground control points located
Tie points collected between images
Block adjustment (to correct relative and absolute errors in state vectors)
Orthorectification (terrain distortion removal and, optionally, radiometric corrections
for pixel size)
Tie points collected between orthorectified images
Radiometric balancing (for radiometric seam removal)
Geometric warp (optional, for residual geometric seam removal)
Block mosaic formation
Reset shadow / layover areas to no-data
Mosaic fill-in with shadow / layover imagery
Extraction of image chips around block boundaries for block-to-block tie point
computation in the Tile Processing Stage.
Tile Processing Stage."
Grand Adjustment (after all blocks in the mosaic have been processed): The purpose
of the adjustment is to remove block-to-block geometric and radiometric seams.
Seam removal requires the computation of tie points from the image chips extracted
from each block.
Final tiles are then produced from block data by applying the seam removal and
radiometric equations derived from the block-to-block tie points.
4.0 Mosaic Product
Two versions of the mosaic have been created. The second version has improvements to
account for:
RAMS software was modified to address the antenna pattern banding problem,
which resulted in blocks with bright centers and dark edges (and thus a radial
"banding" pattern across the Version 1 mosaic). This banding effect is greatly
reduced in Version 2, although faint banding remains due to real variations in
backscatter with incidence angle.
ASF provided corrected noise floor vector data to reduce noise in low-backscatter
areas.
"Ghosting" was only a minor problem in the Version 1 mosaic, and has been further
reduced in Version 2. Ghosting is an effect of side-lobe detection of bright features.
When the main antenna lobe is imaging very low-backscatter targets, it is possible
that bright targets passing beneath a side-lobe of the antenna will scatter enough
energy back toward the antenna to be detected and mapped erroneously at the
location the main lobe was viewing. As a result, bright coastal features can appear as
"ghost images" in regions of very dark snow near the South Pole. The problem has
been addressed by selection of alternate passes without ghost images.
Version 2 of the RAMP DEM was used in processing the Version 2 mosaic. Swath
data were reprojected onto the new DEM surface, improving the georegistration of
the mosaic.
Shadow and layover problems were addressed by covering all mountainous areas
with ST7 data (i.e., RADARSAT-1 data acquired using a different standard beam
looking mode).
As with Version 2 of the RAMP DEM, Version 2 of the RAMP mosaic extends
farther over the sea ice surrounding
Antarctica.
Mosaic products are now complete (figure 1). These are in the form of:
1) over 90 individual tile products. Tiles contain 25 m resolution imagery along with
metadata for extracting backscatter coefficient, surface elevation, surface incidence angle,
and information about the data used in mosaic compilation.
2) a single 125 m mosaic. This is a geographically correct mosaic. It has been processed to
enhance glaciologic and geologic features thus sacrificing some of the radiometric
information provided in the 25 m product.
3) 250 m resolution product available on CDROM. This product was created by
resampling the 125 m data to a volume compatible with CDROM.
Products are available to the science community from the Alaska SAR Facility and from the
National Snow and Ice Data Center. Provision of these products to the NASA Distributed
Active Archive Centers represents the projects primary deliverable based on the original
NASA pathfinder proposal.
Figure1. Radarsat Antarctic Mapping Project mosaic.
5.0 Science Highlights
Science highlights from RAMP are summarized in the following table.
First, complete, high-resolution, radar map of Antarctica
New map of the Antarctic coastline
Ice shelf margin advance and retreat rates interpreted in terms of changing coastal
environments
Discovery of the southward extent of East Antarctic Ice Streams
Measurement of the total mass flux from major EAIS
Measuremenotf the West Antarctic Ice Stream Velocity field and the stability of WAIS
Measurement of the extent and physical properties of snow dunes and their contribution to
mass transport
Demonstrated correlation between I0 km scale radar signatures and properties of the glacier
bed
In addition, the RAMP mosaic and several vignettes were published as a fold-out map inthe February
6.0 References
Jezek, K. C. and F. D. Carsey, 1993. RADARSAT: The Antarctic Mapping Project. BPRC
Report No. 6, 24 p.
Jezek, K.C., J. Curlander, L. Norikane, F. Carsey, J. Crawford, C. Wales, J. Muller, 1996.
RADARSAT: The Antarctic Mapping Project.. Proceedings IGARSS'96.
Lincoln, NE, p. 1775-1776
Mahmood, A., J.P. Crawford, R. Michaud, and K. Jezek, 1998. RADARSAT-1 Background
Mission - Mapping the World. EOS, in press.
Noltimeir, E., and 7 others, 1997. Antarctic Mapping Mission Planning Aids. BPRC
Technical Report 97-01.
Norikane, L., B. Wilson, K.C. Jezek, 1996. RADARSAT Antarctica mapping system:
system overview. Proceedings IGARSS'96. Lincoln, NE, p. 1772-1774
